NPR 2010-08-14

After sharp declines on Wall Street in recent days, stocks are ending the week relatively¹ calm, apparently² unaffected by today's economic data. Overall, retail⁴ sales rose 0.4% in July, not as much as analysts⁵ had hoped, but take up autos and gasoline, and the sales actually reflect a drop. Bernard Baumohl with the Economic Outlook Group says consumers are tough to attract.

"Consumers are just continuing to be very cautious about spending. There's just too much talk out there about weakening economy, double-dip recession possibilities. And I think all this has really scared away a lot of consumers."

On Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average down 18 points at 10,302 at last check, and NASDAQ down 17 at 2,173.

Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters is defending herself against ethics⁶ charges, saying she did absolutely nothing wrong. At a news conference on Capitol Hill earlier today, Waters said she was anxious to clear her name.

"A truly robust⁷ investigatory process would have taken all the available evidence into consideration. I believe that if this had been done, we would not be here today."

The California lawmaker's accused of seeking federal help for a bank where her husband served on the board.

The war crimes trial of a young Canadian at Guantanamo Bay is on hold for at least a month after an unexpected turn yesterday. As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston tells us, the defendant's lawyer fainted.

Even before Lieutenant⁸ Colonel Jon Jackson collapsed⁹, the opening day of Omar Khadr's trial was shaping up to be dramatic. Prosecutors¹⁰ showed a video of teenage Khadr allegedly wiring up roadside bombs with other young men in a living room in Afghanistan. They said he admitted to being an al-Qaeda-trained terrorist. And they claimed he threw the grenade that killed a US Special Forces medic in Afghanistan in 2002. Defense¹¹ Attorney Lieutenant Colonel Jackson was questioning a witness about that 2002 grenade attack when he fainted. Officials say Jackson may be facing a complication from recent gallbladder surgery. And the trial will be put on hold for at least 30 days while Jackson recuperates¹². Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Illness spreads among the youngest victims of Pakistan's floods, children at a hospital in Multan being checked and treated for diseases that are being reported in greater numbers since a monsoon¹³ two weeks ago. It inflicted¹⁴ the worst flooding the country's seen in decades, affecting millions of Pakistanis. An estimated 1,500 people have died.  In China, the search continues for hundreds of people who went missing in landslides¹⁵ in the northwestern part of the region. More than 1,100 people were killed.

This is NPR.

The suspect in a stabbing rampage across three states is waiving¹⁶ extradition¹⁷ to Michigan from Atlanta. In a hearing this morning, Elias Abuelazam told a judge that he was no longer interested in fighting the charges while in Georgia after hearing that battling extradition alone could take months.

"Why should I wait 90 days, right?"

"Well, that's up to you to decide."

"I mean, that's the most common sense. It sounds more logical to go right now than waiting three months."

The 33-year-old was arrested in Atlanta while attempting to board a plane to his native Israel. He's accused of 18 stabbings that led to five deaths. Most of the victims were African-American men.

A grand jury has indicted¹⁸ a candidate for US Senate from South Carolina. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports Alvin Greene was indicted on two counts relating to an incident with a student.

A grand jury in Richland County indicted Greene for disseminating¹⁹, procuring²⁰ or promoting obscenity, which is a felony, and for communicating obscene material without consent. The unemployed²¹ Army veteran was arrested in November after police say he approached a student at the University of South Carolina and showed her obscene online photos. He then reportedly talked about going to her dorm room. Greene unexpectedly won the Democratic Senate primary in June even though he had no staff and did not campaign. He has refused to talk about the obscenity charges. Greene faces popular Republican Senator Jim DeMint in the November election who has raised three million dollars for his campaign. Greene is not considered a serious contender in the race. Kathy Lohr, NPR News.

Ames, Iowa's still without drinking water after record-setting floods breached²² pipes. Tens of thousands of people have been affected³.

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 recuperates   

v.恢复（健康、体力等），复原( recuperate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This is the season in which Nature recuperates. 这是大自然休眠的季节。 来自辞典例句
• Until last year, she tried to use medicine recuperates symptoms, only better. 直到去年，她尝试着用中医调理，症状才有所好转。 来自互联网

13 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

14 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

15 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

16 waiving   

v.宣布放弃( waive的现在分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• Other steps suggested included waiving late payment charges, making quicker loan decisions and easing loan terms. 其他测试还包括免去滞纳金，尽快做出贷款决定和放宽贷款条件。 来自互联网
• Stuyvesant Town offers the same perk on some apartments, along waiving the broker's fee. StuyvesantTown对于他们出租的某些房子也提供同样的好处，顺带还省略了中介费。 来自互联网

17 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

18 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

19 disseminating   

散布，传播( disseminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our comrades in propaganda work have the task of disseminating Marxism. 我们作宣传工作的同志有一个宣传马克思主义的任务。
• Disseminating indecent photographs on the internet a distasteful act. 在因特网上发布不雅照片是卑劣的行径。

20 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

21 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

22 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。